I call these "Summit Stones".....
After gathering these small rocks for many years, while out on adventures, I now splash a bit of paint on them, after 'Mixing In' very special elements with the colors. Then I give these stones back...
The musings here are simply about the wonders of adventure and inspiration. It's all about the importance of giving back and passing forward.....

Sunday, April 22, 2012

"A Whisper Of Wild Places..."

There are certain wild places whispered about among those of us who wander... Most would never likely find their locations written down, or hardly ever hear their name said aloud, these hintings are so very ephemeral, so very special for us...A whisper of something where the elements blend with one another, to make them more than just a place, more than a simple point upon a map. We speak quietly about this terrain, where we each connect with such mystery. They are wild abodes we are attached to through ropes of the heart, and silk strands of the spirit...A whisper of a place we know when we find that laughter is the currency there, where accounts are made up of fun and enjoyment. A place whispered about in private conversations, so we do not lose the energy of them, like how we shield the flame of a candle in a winter snowshoe trip, or our last match just now struck in the wind.Places whispered so about are where we belay one another in as many ways of spirit as physical. We whisper too because we do not want to scare away the shy adversities which wait for us up on the rock and out among the waves. These places are whispered over so as we are making room for much more than space and time...Their whispered names are remembered quietly because they reflect experiences where tears of effort become gems of confidence. These are soft voices of trials, of tests, and challenges only audible for our own ears, and where the origins of our efforts are found among that old ancient internal growth...In the whisper of a wild place we hear and feel and know close at hand, those talking breezes that want us to sense their low murmerings, and the strong winds that will eventually become unforgettable reflections of themselves. We hear whispers of old friends, adventuresome companions, and new fellows yet met, all gently conversing with each other as well. We experience those rustlings and shared whispers by our campfires, within our dark tents, over hot morning brews, and then again after long days out among these - our wild meeting galleries...We whisper of such places because at times it is hard to believe they are real, so full of beauty and wonder they are. We whisper because we don't want the time to pass quickly, and it is as if slowing our words, helps us halt the flow of the hours. They are the places for whispers too where those now gone, tell us of the ways and the secrets yet to come, because we miss their voices so much, such places let us still hear them again and again...We speak quietly in these ways for we have experienced how we are invited to belong out there, and for how we are made to feel at home, even with all of our longings. Such whispered dreams then become voices of the real world and we hear what we could not before, like when being down in a valley and yet our voices can be heard by others still upon a summit, no matter how lowly we speak...We can whisper forever in wonder if we choose - of canyons & islands, of elusive summits, towers & cliffs, across oceans and lakes, over rivers & rapids. We may do so through time as well if we listen closely enough. If we endure with our soft whispers, the wilds will make room for each of us. Then we begin on the path to truly discovering these places intimately, as they will eventually then know each us in turn too. We just need to remember how we got there, we only need to identify ourselves as seekers, as wanderers when we enter...When we next meet each other out on the trail my Friends, let us stand close, and subtly share our secrets with each other, of that which we whisper, out in the wild places..... DSDDedicated these moments to our shared Earth Day and those who 'Adventure For Another Reason' this season...

"To muse: to ponder; reflect upon. In Greek & Roman Mythology, muses were the daughters of zeus; inspirers of effort, music & poetry"

"THE ACID TEST OF A TRUE ADVENTURER, IF PRESENTED WITH CERTAIN ANONYMITY, IS WHETHER EACH OF US WOULD STILL HAVE MADE THE JOURNEY BEYOND THE LAST BLUE MOUNTAIN..." M. Clark

"Eastward the dawn rose, ridge behind ridge into the morning, and vanished out of eyesight... it was no more than a glimmer blending with the hem of the sky, but it spoke to them, out of memory, and old tales, of the high and distant mountains" J.Tolkien

"We are all in some sense, mountaineers, and going to the wilderness is going home" J.Muir

"Do you know what these elements are? What they mean? These elements of fire, water, wind, earth, and metals? Do you realize that you are elemental too?" Grandfather, Mountain Elder

"A LIFE LIST, IS IN THE END, NOTHING MORE THAN A TOOL TO LOOK BACK ON OUR LIVES AND CONSIDER HOW WE SPENT OUR BRIEF MOMENTS ON EARTH. AND WHAT IF, IN THOSE FINAL BREATHS, YOU REALIZE - I NEVER GAVE ANYTHING BACK..." J.B. MACKINNON

"PEOPLE WHO SEEK ADVENTURE ARE TRUE POETS OF LIVING..." ANON

"Adventure does give you a chance to come to terms with yourself. What you find out about yourself just comes as a gift" D.Scott

"You went up that mountain one person, and have come down a very different being" Grandfather, Mountain Elder

"By walking out alone into the wilderness... I can after a while begin to see and to hear and to think and in the end to feel with a new and exciting accuracy" C.Fletcher

"Two voices are there; one is of the sea, one is of the mountains" Wordsworth

"The narrow ribbon between land and ocean is a perfect place to understand the mind of wisdom" Deng Ming-dao

"There will be a day when you will climb to a place where the mountain and the sky merge" Grey Wolf

"IF YOU TAKE THAT STONE, YOU MUST GIVE SOMETHING BACK..." GREY WOLF

"The Latin word 'finis' has two meanings: the end or finish, and a goal to reach" V.Frankl